Ukraine: realities | «The Weekly Five»: 11.09 – 17.09

Putin meets with Kim Jong Un

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has met with his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Far East for talks.

Kim Jong Un arrived by train at the Vostochny cosmodrome's railway station in the Amur region.

Asked whether Russia would help the DPRK build satellites, Putin replied: «That's why we came to the Vostochny cosmodrom.

«The leader of the DPRK shows great interest in rocketry, and they are trying to develop space as well», the Russian dictator said.

Putin was asked whether military-technical cooperation would be discussed during the talks with the DPRK leader.

«We will talk about all issues without haste. There is time», he replied.

 

Training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16s has made serious progress

Yuriy Ihnat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, assures that the process of training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets has «gained momentum» and made great progress.

«There are a lot of questions about where, in which country, how many pilots and how many aircraft we are getting. Unfortunately, we can't answer these questions in such detail right now. Not every state wants to go into much detail about the process that is taking place on its territory. I can only assure you that the process has indeed moved forward very seriously. It hasn't been in place, but it has gained momentum. The pilots are learning and undergoing training».

 

British Intelligence: Russia is preparing to attack Ukrainian infrastructure in winter

The UK Ministry of Defense expects Russia to launch missile attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure in winter, just like last year.

British intelligence recalled that Russia attacked Ukraine's energy infrastructure between October 2022 and March 2023. For the attacks, Russia mainly used X-101 (AS-23 KODIAK) missiles launched by strategic aviation from Russian territory.

The agency, citing data from open sources, emphasized that since April 2023, Russia has been spending less on air-launched cruise missiles, while Russian leaders have emphasized efforts to increase the production of such weapons.

 

White House officially confirms Zelenskyy-Biden meeting on September 21 in Washington

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Friday confirmed a meeting between Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House next Thursday, September 21. The meeting will take place after participation in the events of the UN General Assembly's High-Level Week.

«This will be their third meeting at the White House. It will come at a crucial time when Russia is desperately seeking help from countries like North Korea for its brutal war in Ukraine, and Ukrainian troops are on the offensive».

The White House spokesman also announced that a regular meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine's defense, known as the Ramstein format, will take place early next week.

 

The European Parliament recognizes the President of Belarus as an accomplice in Russia's crimes

The European Parliament in its resolution «On relations with Belarus» recognized the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, as an accomplice in the crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine, in particular in the deportation of children.

In a separate resolution, the EU Parliament said that the Belarusian authorities are involved in the promotion of hate speech, disinformation and propaganda by Russia, «which repeats Moscow's bellicose rhetoric».

The EU Parliament condemned Belarus for assisting Russia in its war against Ukraine and for transporting Ukrainian children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Belarus or through its territory to so-called health camps where they are subjected to forced Russification.

According to the resolution, more than 2,150 children have been transferred to Belarus.

The European Parliament assessed the actions of the Lukashenka regime as amounting to a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

 

The project «Ukraine: realities» is implemented by the News agency «Konkurent» together with the Civic Movement «SVIDOMI» and the charity organization Global Empowerment Mission in English for readers from other countries to tell the stories of people who survived the horrors of the Russian occupation.

Проєкт «Ukraine: realities» реалізовується Інформаційним агентством «Конкурент» спільно з Громадянським Рухом «СВІДОМІ» та благодійною організацією Global Empowerment Mission на англійській мові для читачів з інших країн аби розповісти історії людей, які пережили жахи російської окупації.